Hidden Decks, Morgues and 5 Other Cruise Ship Inside Secrets!

Even if you’ve gone all-inclusive and full-on luxury, you’re still really only seeing half of your cruise ship!

There Are Hidden Decks.
Sure, you have access to cabin, dining hall, bars, sun decks, gyms… But there are separate versions of these on a lower deck for the crew to use. These areas are off-limits to guests.

There is a morgue.
Most large ships have one in case a passenger passes away during a sailing, until the ship reaches a port where arrangements can be made. The occasional death can be quite common
when carrying large percentages of elderly passengers.

Crew members often work every day.
And even work for more hours a day than the typical American. They then get a few shifts off. Sure they can boast to traveling around the world, but sometimes they don’t even get time to see the port.

Crew members live onboard.
Cruise lines hire officers and crew for typical four- to six-month stints, then after a two to three month break they’ll come back onboard or get on another ship.

The crew may know you.
On luxury ships, the cruise lines collect information about your likes and dislikes and store it in a central database. If you return, that information is shared with the crew along with your photo.

The captain doesn’t really stand behind a wheel all day.
He only really does this when entering and exiting ports and during inclement weather.
Cruise ships generally operate under the command of a computer.

The crew may party harder than the passengers.
Below the passengers decks, the crew bars may stay open later and serve more alcohol per person than in the passenger areas. Some crew members are allowed to have a drink in the same bars passengers visit, but most must imbibe in the off-limits areas.